It has been disclosed in the prior art that intraventricular administration of morphine in patients with neoplastic intractable pain is both possible and efficient. Such a method is disclosed in "Intraventricular Administration of Morphine in Patients with Neoplastic Intractable Pain" by D. Roquefeuil et al, Surgical Neurology, 1984; 21:155-8. As shown in this article, an externally hung collecting bag was connected to the ventricle of the user by a catheter which entered the body at the neck region. A Cordis valve unit was provided on the external catheter such that 50 mg could be administered into the ventricle each time the valve unit was open.
Another system for relieving cancer pain by the administration of morphine using an indwelling system is disclosed in "Cancer Pain Relieved by Long-Term Epidural Morphine With Permanent Indwelling Systems for Self-Administration" by C. Poletti et al, Journal of Neurosurgery, Vol. 55, October 1981, pages 581-584. One of the systems disclosed includes a completely indwelling catheter system consisting of a morphine reservoir, a shunt pump, and on-off valve. The morphine was administered to the spinal epidural space.
Various implantable devices for delivering fluids to a portion of the body have been disclosed in prior patents. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,051 (Schulte), a surgical implant consisting of a capsule acting as a reservoir for fluids is disclosed. A tube communicates the fluid to regions of the brain. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,220 (Summers), a blader and pump system which is implanted in the abdomen in order to administer drugs and other substances to various parts of the body is disclosed. The pump is driven by a magnet located outside of the body. A surgically implantable device for relieving fluid pressure on the brain is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,996 (Fountain). The device disclosed includes a ventriculo-atrial shunt which comprises an elbow catheter attached to a dual pump/valve device implanted under the scalp. The pumping device is a substantially flat, flexible plate adapted to overlie the skull and has a pair of bubble-shaped chambers positioned thereon and adapted for finger manipulation to provide pumping action to clear the conduits of obstructions.
Various other devices have been disclosed in the prior art for internally administering drugs or fluids to various regions of the body. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,376 (Wichterle) and U.S Pat. No. 3,951,147 (Tucker et al), implanted devices are disclosed which can be refilled by injection with a hypodermic needle. A body implantable medical infusion system is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,155 (Thompson).